Neutralizer
Neutralizer, also known as "the purple stuff" and "goo," appears in various episodes as a glowing, purple liquid with an apparently high viscosity. It is created in the area of the Warehouse nicknamed "the Gooery" and helps render overly active artifacts temporarily inert. History The exact origins of Neutralizer are never explained and, as such, are unknown. However, Warehouse 9 was known to safely collect artifacts too dangerous for human contact (if not most or all artifacts in general) through the use of a giant purple swamphen. As such, it is possible that modern Neutralizer originates from, or is at least based on, the giant purple swamphen. In the crossover episode "Crossing Over", the Eureka-based scientific institution Global Dynamics provided the Warehouse with an upgraded formula of Neutralizer created using alkalizing agents in 2010. Workings Exactly how neutralizer functions is unknown, but it does cause any artifacts or anything that affects artifacts to be neutralized.Pilot When reacting with an artifact a burst of electricity can be seen. It can be assumed that neutralizer also neutralizes any electric charge an artifact may have. As revealed in "Crossing Over", Neutralizer's usefulness is not limited to artifacts alone; Trevor Grant, having traveled through time from 1947 to 2010, was creating a temporal wormhole due to the two time periods being pulled together by his unstable molecules. He was injected with upgraded Neutralizer in an attempt to stabilize them and prevent further temporal distortions; in the end, specialized nanites purged the exotic particles from Grant's body, but it is uncertain whether the Neutralizer had any real effect or helped in the process. Besides stabilizing and rendering artifacts and molecules inert/stable, Neutralizer seems to have a euphoric effect when exposed to living organisms; in Magnetism, when Artie was forced to douse Pete and Myka in Neutralizer to prevent their intensifying negative energies from agitating nearby artifacts, the two agents instantly ceased their fighting and burst into laughter and playful behavior (why this seems to only occur when exposed to the skin and not injected is unclear). From this, it could be assumed that Neutralizer may act as a positive/positively charged force against the negative/negatively charged force of artifacts, if not such force in general, in a literal and/or emotional sense. Usage Warehouse agents have used neutralizer both in the Warehouse and out in the field. It is a vital tool for artifact hunting as it neutralizes the effects of an artifact. In "Second Chance", as a shard of Spartan Armor was lodged inside of Cody Bell's chest and could not be safely removed, Neutralizer was injected directly into his bloodstream to reverse the shard's effects. In "Crossing Over", Trevor Grant was given doses of Neutralizer to stabilize his molecules and keep him from ripping a wormhole between 2010 and 1947. When Neutralizer is used and renders an artifact inert, it gains a particularly foul smell, described as "when something bad goes bad." Forms New Gloves 4.jpg|New fabric Neutralizer gloves used by agents to handle artifacts static_bag.jpg|Static Bags used to neutralize artifacts during transport neutralizer.jpg|Container to transport large amounts on neutralizer Spray Can 1.jpg|Neutralizer sprayer Neutralizer Portable Container.png|A portable container for when a large amount of Neutralizer is required and must be focused on a specific artifact or artifacts Ear Plugs.jpg|Ear plugs used to protect against artifact-produced or enhanced sound Glasses 1.jpg|Purple-tinted glasses to protect against artifacts activated by sight or artifact-produced visuals Tongs 5.jpg|Small rubber tongs to hold artifacts when gloves are unavailable or extra protection is required Big Tongs 2.jpg|Larger wooden tongs to handle larger artifacts or artifacts at a greater distance Neutralizer Cloth 1.png|Neutralizer cloth for artifact handling; towel-like version Neutralizer Cloth 2.png|Neutralizer cloth for artifact handling; larger, more delicate fabric Neutralizer Comic Log Box.png|Reinforced cardboard log box used to contain comic books (such as those of Fredric Wertham) Goo-Nade.png|Goo-Nade designed to neutralize multiple artifacts at once with a burst of Neutralizer Goozooka.jpg|Modified bazooka designed to launch Neutralizer over great distances Goozooka Full.jpg Neutralizer Ray Gun 1.png Neutralizer Ray Gun 2.png|Ray gun that fires a concentrated beam of neutralizer for long distance or precision shots Scrubber.jpg|A machine for intense neutralization, useful for neutralizing psychically triggered artifacts by getting into its pores Neutralizer Sprinkler Head.png|Neutralizer sprinklers used to remotely neutralize artifacts from the main office, controlled by a device for inputting coordinates Neutralizer Shower 1.png|A Neutralizer sprinkler used to negate the negative energy of Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering to prevent artifact reactions Neutralizer Shower 2.png Limitations There are certain occasions, in which an artifact cannot be neutralized. One reason is that the artifact is a bifurcated artifact (two or more parts). For example, Edgar Allan Poe’s Quill Pen and Notebook. In this case the neutralizer will be ineffective and the two parts of the artifact need to be brought together. There are also circumstances in which the neutralizer is ineffective at neutralizing the artifact, so the artifact needs to be destroyed, so the neutralizer can work on the pieces. (James Braid’s Chair). It is not known if an artifact has ever completely been destroyed because the neutralizer cannot control it. Toxicity Temporary external exposure to both active or spent Neutralizer by humans appears to be otherwise harmless, even when large quantities are applied.Magnetism If ingested, however, Neutralizer will cause hallucinations.Pilot Contrary to this, it has been shown twice that if injected into the bloodstream of a person, there are no side-effects (at least none shown on-screen). However, as both instances involved the upgraded formula provided by Global Dynamics, it's likely that this toxicity was removed. Trivia * In Chapter 5 of Grand Designs, when the Gooery was beginning to flood, Claudia described the Gooery/Neutralizer (or possibly the overabundance of Neutralizer alone) smelt like "crayons gone bad." * The purple hue of Neutralizer may be rooted in the color's cultural significance: ** Amethyst, a purple variety of quartz, originates from the Greek word "amethystos", meaning "not drunken." Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were often carved from it. *** In two myths, the Green god of wine and intoxication (Dionysus) wept over the body of a woman named Amethystos, who had been transformed into white stone or crystallized quartz, his tears staining the stone purple. ** In ancient times, particularly around the Mediterranean, it became the color of kings, nobles, priests, and magistrates, likely because at the time it was very expensive to make and only the extremely wealthy could afford its use. ** Alexander the Great (when giving imperial audiences as the basileus of the Macedonian Empire), the basileus of the Seleucid Empire, and the kings of Ptolemaic Egypt all wore Tyrian purple. ** In the West, purple or violet is the color most associated with piety and religious faith. ** Purple is the color most often associated with the artificial and the unconventional. It is the major color that occurs the least frequently in nature, and was the first color to be synthesized. ** Purple is the color most associated with ambiguity. Like other colors made by combining two primary colors, it is seen as uncertain and equivocal. ** In Chinese painting, the color purple represents the harmony of the universe because it is a combination of red and blue (yang and yin respectively). ** The color purple plays a significant role in the traditions of engineering schools across Canada. This fascination with purple is commonly attributed to the story of the sinking of the Titanic, in which the purple-clad Marine Engineers remained on board to delay the ship's sinking. ** Purple haze refers to a state of mind induced by psychedelic drugs, particularly LSD. It is said to have originated because the first LSD manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Sandoz was contained in purple capsules. ** Purple squirrel is a term used by employment recruiters to describe a job candidate with precisely the right education, experience, and qualifications that perfectly fits a job’s multifaceted requirements. The assumption is that the perfect candidate is as rare as a real-life purple squirrel. ** In parapsychology, people with purple auras are said to have a love of ritual and ceremony. Gallery References Category:Warehouse equipment Category:Neutralizer